Toy airplane



Jan. 19, 1960 E. c. PERKINS TOY AIRPLANE Filed June 17, 1957 INVENTOR. Earle C. Perkins WHI EHEAD, VOGL GLOWE PER ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiice 2,921,405 Patented Jan. 1 9, 1960 TOY AIRPLANE Earle C. Perkins, San Diego County, Calif.

Application June 17, 1951, Serial No. 665,950

2 Claims. 01. 46-77) This invention relates to toy airplanes of the type which may be held and maneuvered in a moving air stream and more particularly, to an improved type of toy airplane which is especially adapted to be extended from the window of a moving automobile and into the air stream alongside the automobile. A primary object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved toy airplane which is especially adapted to be extended from the window of a moving automobile and an improved control therefor which may be mounted upon the sill of the automobile window opening.

Other objects of the invention are to provide such novel and improved toy airplane and control which (a) is especially adapted to be mounted at a side window opening of an automobile with the control afiixed to the sill of the opening and with the toy airplane extending therefrom but also may be easily mounted upon any other suitable base or pedestal which permits the toy airplane to be extended into a moving air stream; (b) includes operating elements in the control unit which shift to maneuver the toy airplane to climb, dive, and bank in substantially the same manner as do the operating controls of a conventional airplane; (c) is an attractive, educational, safe, and fool-proof toy that may be operated by a child without detailed instructions; (d) is so constructed that it can be extended only from the right hand windows of an automobile and thereby avoids any driving hazards of oncoming trafiic or having other traflic mistake the toy for a signal; and (e) is a simple, low cost, neat, and attractive device.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, all of which more fully hereinafter appear, my invention comprises certain novel, and improved constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts and elements as hereinafter described, defined in the appended claims and illustrated in preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawing of which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fragmentary portion.

of an automobile window opening with the window glass lowered with the control of my toy airplane mounted thereon and with the toy airplane extending laterally therefrom as into the air stream which is alongside the automobile when it is moving, broken and dashed lines illustrating alternate positions of the toy airplane and the operating elements of the control.

Figure 2 is a transverse section of the toy and control as viewed substantially from the indicated line 22 at Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the control per se.

Figure 4 is a rear elevational view of the control.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section through the control as viewed from the indicated line 5-5 at Fig. 3.

There have, from time to time, been developed toy airplanes, whirlygigs, and similar toys which are adapted to be extended from the window of a moving automobile to be held and operated in the moving air stream alongside the automobile. Such toys are especially attractive I to children and occupy their attention and assure their remaining in the automobile while the car is moving. Toy airplanes would seem especially desirable for this purpose; however, when such a toy is used, it invariably excites the imagination of the child or adult and there is an immediate desire to efiect some control of the toy airplane in the same manner as a prototype would be controlled. It follows that there is a real and definite need to provide such a toy airplane which may be extended from a side window of an automobile or the like and which includes a control arrangement that permits the toy airplane to dive, climb, and bank in the same manner as does a prototype. With such a toy, the child operating it can actually project his imagination to think of himself as being an actual pilot.

With such in view, the present invention was conceived and developed and comprises in essence a toy airplane which is carried upon a slender wire arm. The arm, in turn, extends into a control box designed to suggest the pilot control stick of an airplane and adapted to be mounted upon the sill of a car window opening, all as hereinafter described in detail.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the toy airplane A is preferably constructed of lightweight plastic material with the body .10, wings 11 and tail 12 being integral to provide a unit of suflicient strength and rigidity to withstand the'pressure of a high velocity air stream without being damaged or torn apart. This model airplane may be a fanciful design or it may be a model of any one of a number of prototype planes, the main requirement being that the model be formed with sufficient aerodynamic considerations as to permit it to ride in a moving air stream with sufl'lcient lifting force to sustain its weight and without excessive drag.

The rod B which extends from the control box C to hold the airplane A in outstanding extended cantilevered position from the control box is preferably a spring steel wire which will flex somewhat responsive to pressure against the airplane A and yet not permanently bend. The size of the rod B will depend upon the size of the airplane A, the distance the wire extends from the control box C and the speed of the air stream in which the toy may be projected. An optimum wire size may be easily determined by simple experimentation. The rod B is attached to the airplane as by extending through a transverse passage 13 in the body 10 at a point of approximate dynamic balance, as underneath the wings 11, and the end of the wire is bent upwardly as at 14 to extend into a socket 15 in the wing 11 to afiix the airplane against rotation about the wire.

The control box B is formed with a fiat bottom 16 which is adapted to be set upon the sill of a window opening and includes a longitudinally disposed lock wedge 17 depending therefrom for affixing the box to the sill, all as hereinafter described. The control box may be formed in any desirable manner and preferably to suggest or symbolize the control box of a conventional airplane. As illustrated, the central portion of the top surface of the box is a flat surface 18, symbolizing the floor of a cockpit while a raised portion 19 at the front thereof symbolizes the front of a control panel. It is contemplated that various dials and gages may be printed upon this panel to suggest its nature.

The control of the toy airplane is elfected through rotation and restriction of the rod B and the rod extends through openings in the control box and to a control stick as hereinafter described. The openings include a conical pit 20 in the surface 18 and a transversely-disposed triangular slot 21 at the side of the control box C, from whence the rod B extends. The apex of the conical pit 20 and the apex of the triangular slot 21 interconnect with each other and an opening 22 at the juncture. The rod B is bent to-a sharp right angle turn 23 which fits into the opening 22 to mpstand in the pit and form a control stick 24 which may be suitably enlarged as by a sheathing or the like, as illustrated. The nature of the opening 22 at the juncture of the cone and slot is that of a right angle turn and'it follows that the angle turn 23 of the rod B is thus restricted as if it were in a socket whereby the control stick may move to any position in the conical pit while the rod B in the slot is restricted to vertical movement and rotation.

This control box C is adapted to be set upon the sill of the window opening of an automobile 25-when the window 26 is lowered since there is a conventional slot 27 at the sill in the Window receiving socket alongside the Window 26. The wedge 17 is aflixed in this slot 27 to provide a simple secure connection. It is within the contemplation of the invention, however, to provide other connecting means for mounting the control box upon the window sill, or a window edge or any other suitable base.

Operation of the unit is fundamentally simple. When the toy airplane is in an air stream with the control stick 24 vertical, it extends from the control box in a substantially horizontal position. A simple forward movement of the control stick causes the toy airplane to then dive, a backward movement to rise, as shown by the broken lines at Fig. 1. Banking movements are likewise attainable and in all, the position of the toy airplane shifts in accordance with manipulation of the control stick 24 in a manner remarkably suggestive of the actual maneuvers of a prototype airplane and with considerable appeal as a toy.

While I have described my invention in detail, it is obvious that others skilled in the art can devise and build other and alternative and equivalent constructions which are within the spirit and scope of my invention; hence I desire that my protection be limited only by the proper scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A maneuverable toy held on a rigid base adapted to be positioned alongside a longitudinally directed air stream and comprising in combination with said base, a control box mounted upon the base, a holding rod outstanding from the control box and adapted to extend into the air stream, and a toy airplane having airfoil sections responsive to air movement afiixed to the extended end of the rod with the rod projecting laterally therefrom, said control box including a vertical, triangular-shaped, slotted pocket in the side of the control box, and a conical pocket in the-top of the control box contacting the side pocket substantially at a common apex point, said rod extending into the side pocket and being turned upwardly to normally upstand in the conical pocket and form a control stick adapted to move longitudinally and laterally within the conical pocket whereby longitudinal movements of the control stick portion of the rod efiect rotation of the rod portion outstanding from the box and upward and downward nosing of the toy airplane and lateral movements of the stick portion of the rod efiect upward and downward movements of the rod in the side pocket and rising and lowering of the toy airplane.

2. A control box, a side rod adapted to laterally outstand from the box and a maneuverable toy airplane attached to the extended end of the side rod with the rod projecting laterally therefrom and being adapted to extend into a moving air stream alongside the control box, said control box including a triangular-shaped, vertically-slotted side pocket in the control box into which the rod extends, and a conical-shaped pocket in the top of the control box which connects with'the side pocket substantially at a common apex point, the end portion of said rod being turned at an angle of substantially degrees at the apex point whereby to upstand in the conical pocket when the body of the rod normally" outstands horizontally from the side pocket, the upstanding portion of the rod forming a control stick adapted to move longitudinally and laterally, longitudinal movement thereof being adapted to rotate the outstanding portion of the rod to nose the toy airplane upwardly and downwardly and lateral movements being adapted to shift the outstanding portion of the rodupwardly and downwardly within the triangular slot to efiect a rising and lowering of the toy airplane at the end of the rod.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,937,241 Pardue et a1. Nov. 28, 1933 2,227,918 Trombola Ian. 7, 1946 2,420,510 Wilson May 13, 1947 2,775,453 Billet Dec. 25, 1956 

